Don "The Dragon" Wilson shows considerable rage as the elusive "Karateman," a martial artist who eradicates the adulteration of society. Lawyer by day...vigilante by night, Karateman, known to most people as John Decker lived the American dream as a once proud family man. Until one night...Decker's life was shattered as his wife and son were sadistically murdered in front of his white eyes by a gang of iniquitous drug dealers...
Only one problem...for Decker suffers from a partial case of amnesia. Lapses of the murders appear in flashback only so sporadically in Decker's mind. Decker must find a way to chastise these drug dealers who are gradually taking over the city with their endless supply of merchandise. If Decker can't punish the dealers through legal means in the courtroom...then he will teach them a life long lesson in the streets by beating the sense out of these crooks...
John Decker/Karateman is spending time cleaning up the filthy streets just for the good of the community. This unexpected sweeping of the city streets by a one man force does not create adequate business for the criminal masterminds behind the distribution of drugs and cocaine throughout the city. They are not contended as this single arm of the law is nailing individual drug dealers one by one. Working in collusion with corrupt cops, the dealers gang together and concoct a formula for revenge which will maul Karateman's reputation...
Decker shows no fear against a myriad of martial arts experts! However, can he overcome his battles against his personal demons of guilt and remorse? With aid from a wise elder (Aki Aleong) whose philosophies are quite shrewd, Decker is given tutelage as to choosing the right path towards inner clarity and peace. Decker also finds refuge with a love interest, Joanna (Shari Shattuck).
Out for Blood is a rather fine action flick. The martial arts choreography is a feast for the eyes as Wilson displays an array of awesome high kicks, blocks, and fast reflexes to trick the human mind. The rapid fire photography, cinematography, and editing are top notch and the battle sequences between Wilson and the villains are well captured on camera. The plot about murder and retribution has been played a million times before on screen, but Out for Blood adds plenty of credence to its main character as he shows mental vulnerability, demonstrated to the audience that nobody can always be "invincible" in both physical strength and mind. The acting tends to be annoyingly over-dramatic and the same elements of a typical, formulaic revenge film are reiterated throughout Out for Blood again. Everything in Out for Blood is a compendium of clichés from previous entries belonging in the category of "the weak oppressed turns into potent avenger" type theme.
Even if Out for Blood has a dearth of novelty AND ingeunity in the film, the breathless action more than compensates for this shortcoming. Out for Blood is a slick, supercharged adventure with enough surprises and hits to make this movie a must see for martial arts aficionados.
Director Richard W. Munchkin has executed a slam-bang, intensive thriller. With handsome production values and a charismatic leading star, Out for Blood is set as a fun filled motion picture.
Infinitely better than your average, mayhem-packed adventure, Out for Blood delivers a corpulence of power and tricks in the book to buoy this film above mediocrity. This film may be unremarkable, but it is a worthwhile experience. Entertaining, to say the least.
RATING: **1/2 out of ****.
